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SHARZHOOM
Armenian Action
4,1k 3 Gtkr&nnir
23
rd
Year
May 2002
Vol. 23, No. 4 (78)
Supplement to The Collegian
87th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide Commemorated on Campus
Carina Karakashian
staff writer
"It was not war. It was most
certainly massacre and genocide,
something the world must remember..." (Israeli Foreign Minister
Yossi Beilin), and remember is what
the Fresno State Armenian Students
did on Wednesday, April 24,2002
at their 12 noon remembrance of
the 87th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.   Students, guests,
and community members gathered
at the Fresno State Free Speech
| Area in remembrance of the 1.5
j2 million Armenians massacred by
§> the Ottoman Empire beginning in
? 1915.
IQ The Armenian Students Orga-
5 nization, with the help of the com-
| (§ munity, held one of its most suc-
S cessful campus commemorations.
IS The entire Armenian community
Many Fresno State students and community members gathered at the Free Speech area on was represented at the event. There
the Fresno State campus at noon on Wednesday, April 24. In the foreground is the model of was a wide array of students present.
the Armenian Genocide Monument in Yerevan, Armenia. Students ranging from nursery
3rd Annual Armenian Film Festival
ASP 16th Annual Banquet Features
Vartkes Yeghiayan of Glendale
Arpik Paraghamian
STAFF WRITER
Over 125 Armenian students
and members of the community
had the opportunity to see four films
make their Fresno debuts at the
Third Annual Armenian Film Festival on Thursday, April 18, in the
Alice Peters Auditorium.
For the past three years, the
Armenian Students Organization
and the Armenian Studies Program,
with funding from the University
Student Union Diversity Aware-
Director Karina Epperlein
ness Program, have hosted the film
festival. The film festival has become known for featuring the films
of a new generation of Armenian
writers, producers and directors.
"This event is basically for
Armenian directors or producers to
come and show their films," said
Talar Atarian, secretary ofthe ASO
and organizer of the Film Festival.
Atarian said the film festival is a
great way to get the community
together and is a place where film-
see Film Festival page 7
Barlow Per Mugrdechian
ADVISOR
More than 25 students were
recognized for receiving Armenian
Studies scholarships at the 16th
Annual Banquet of the Armenian
Studies Program, held on a sunny
and warm Sunday afternoon in the
Residence Dining Facility on campus.
Barlow Der Mugrdechian of
the Armenian Studies Program,
made welcoming remarks and gave
a brief overview of the academic
year activities of the Armenian
Studies Program.
This was followed by the
screening of video clips from the
Armenian Studies Program "Hye
Talk" television show. One clip,
was about the ASP, showing students in class and interacting with
faculty. The second clip focused on
the Armenian Studies Study Trip
2001 participants, 18 students who
had traveled with Der Mugrdechian
to Armenia for three weeks. The
students discussed the impact that
the trip had made in their lives and
reminisced about the trip. Students
spoke about the highlights of the
trip.
Dr. Luis and Mrs. Wendy
Costa, Dean ofthe College of Arts
and Humanities, was present at the
banquet, as well as Dr. Varoujan
Altebarmakian, Chair of the Armenian Studies Program Advisory
Board.
Attorney Vartkes Yeghiayan
of Glendale, California was the
keynote speaker at the April 14th
banquet. The month of April has
been particularly busy for Mr.
Yeghiayan, as he was recently in
Paris to encourage the formation of
a European Armenian Lawyer's
Association. He has recently lectured at Glendale City College and
Whittier Law School and was invited to New York to speak at the
annual Times Square commemoration of the Armenian Genocide.
Mr. Yeghiayan's keynote
speech was on "Armenian Insurance Claims from the Genocide
Era," a topic he is very familiar
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This Issue
through college were all showing
their respect to their culture. Parents and family members were also
present. The AGBU Youth Organization provided lemonade on this
hot spring day.
The master of ceremonies was
Michael Harutinian, President of
the Armenian Student Organization. The ceremony commenced
with the remarks of former Fresno
County Sheriff Hal McKinney. His
inspiring and truthful words demonstrated that Armenians and non-
Armenians alike share in the honor
of our people.
Then the honorable Judge
Debra Kazanjian spoke to the
crowd, telling them what an impact
the Armenian Community has had
on Fresno, and how the genocide
had inspired Armenians to be the
leaders of the community. "Commemoration ofthe Armenian Genocide is important not only to keep
alive the memory of those Arme-
see GENOCIDE page 5
Vartkes Yeghiayan
with as he has been one of the lead
lawyers in the class action suit
against the New York Life Insurance Company. New York Life has
see BANQUET page 6